A hermetic type storage container called as the FOUP (Front Open Unified Pod) is used in a semiconductor manufacturing process. The FOUP accommodates, for example, semiconductor wafers and is used for transporting the semiconductor wafers between semiconductor processing systems.
The patent document 1 discloses a load port device that is used for transporting semiconductor wafers housed in the FOUP to the inside of the semiconductor processing system.
The load port device comprises a first driving unit that moves a holding member by which a door of the FOUP is held in the horizontal direction to approach or to be separated from the FOUP, and a second driving unit that moves the separated holding member in the vertical direction. The first driving unit has a first guide rail that extends in the horizontal direction and the second driving unit has a second guide rail that extends in the vertical direction, and the holding member is moved along the first and second guide rails so that the door of the FOUP is open or closed.